A decade since Sam Shepherd began releasing music under the moniker Floating Points, he returns to his dancefloor roots with Crush, the follow-up to 2015’s masterpiece of a debut, Elaenia.
Inspired by the improvisations he was creating while on tour with The xx in 2017, where he was equipped with little more than a Buchla synthesizer, Shepherd found himself making “some of the most obtuse and aggressive music I’ve ever made”. This newfound drive can be heard in singles such as “LesAlpx”, a mind-melting track that climbs breathlessly towards its summit with a pounding bass beat and high, whistling chirps that punctuate the tension.
Shepherd, who has a PhD in neuroscience, structures many tracks as though the beats are playing a game of tag: “In Bloom” darts from one point to the next, for example, making you think of neurons passing signals to one another. There are sombre moments, too: “Requiem for CS70 and Strings” honours the rare, vintage Yamaha synthesizer – regarded as one of the all-time greats – and is a simple yet affecting lament. Opener “Falaise” actually recalls, even if for just a moment, classical composer Mark Bradshaw’s work on the Bright Star soundtrack, with its shuddering violins.
More recent fans may be confused by Shepherd’s shift from his lushly textured and improvisational sound to a more pared-back, instinctive approach. Yet Crush is an insight into Shepherd’s brilliant mind and – such is the sheer variety of this album – a way to inspire one’s own imagination.
